Month: April 2016

Let me preface this by saying I am the n00biest n00b to ever play League of Legends. I’ve been trying not to get into it for years, partly because people I greatly dislike play the game, and partly out of laziness. I have a bit of an addictive personality, so once I find a game I enjoy I will play that game incessantly. I can tell right now that League is going to be no exception. If you care to add me, my summoner name is KatMaestrale. Once I get a better handle on things, lets play together! I currently main as Lux.

This weekend I attended PAX East, and one of the first things that caught my eye was the League of Legends Riftwalk. The line was enormous, even before 10 am on the first day of the convention, so naturally I had to see what it was for myself. On Saturday morning, I got in line as soon as the horror in media panel with Chris Straub was over and made a beeline for the Riot Games section of the convention center. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in for a two hour wait for the experience. Luckily, Riot Games planned ahead and created the Minimap app, an app that allowed you to complete a “quest” while in line for a chance to win some swag, as well something to sync with the wristband needed to experience the Riftwalk. I did not end up winning any swag from the app, but I did make a few new friends to play League with, and I met some wonderful people in line. If there’s one impression this left on me this weekend, it’s that gamers can often be some of the nicest people out there. I think we as a culture get too hung up on trolls and forget there’s dozens of really kind and cool people out there.

After my two hour wait, I finally got into the Riftwalk. It was a beautiful and atmospheric interactive art exhibit showcasing the growth of LoL over the years, including some really cool artwork you could “take home” with the aid of your wristband. There were also a few photo ops which were super cool and really fun to do. It explains why the wait for Riftwalk is so long as well. For the first photo, you had the chance to choose between a few different weapons. I chose Fishbones and held that heavy son-of-a-gun with pride. Unfortunately for me, this picture, the one I wanted the most, didn’t show up on my Minimap app, nor in my email as promised. Naturally, I took to the twittersphere to complain, and I was greeted warmly by Rioter Janelle Jiminez. She pointed me in the direction of the Riot info desk, who graciously allowed me to have a second shot at getting my coveted picture without having to wait in another 2 hour line. Unfortunately, the pictures STILL didn’t make it my way, but I did get another chance to walk around the Riftwalk. It was a different experience since the giant Thresh puppet wasn’t there at the time I was readmitted, but still a really good time. I felt really lucky to get to have another go at the fun photo ops. Thank you again to the Rioters for being so accommodating and pleasant.

And for those of you Pinny Arcade collectors out there, I got an exclusive Teemo pin for my troubles. It’s adorable, and easily my favorite pin because I earned it, goddamn it! And now, for your nerdy pleasure, here are some pictures of my journey through the Riftwalk!

Sorry for my blogging hiatus; it was unexpected and entirely unpleasant, and that’s all I care to share about it.Good things seem to be on the horizon though! I’m finally getting trained to work the service desk at my job, which I’m told will be less stressful than supervising checkout. I’m a little worried because I am terrible at dealing with high stress customers, but I’m hoping that with a few days of training I’ll be good to go. I just need to learn how to do Moneygram and lottery sales, which is not anything overly strenuous. And I’m being trained by this really sweet old lady who works the desk every morning and is an expert at it, so bonus!

But I’ve gotta tell you, being an adult is really exhausting. I’ve decided to stop being a lazy fuck and actually come in early when I’m needed. It’s not like when I was just a regular cashier and they could call any number of kids anymore; I keep the front end operational when a manager can’t be there. Even if I feel overworked sometimes, the bottom line is I’m not typically working more than 25 hours a week. That’s chump change compared to what my brother works, and what any full-timer works. My shifts aren’t even usually longer than six and a half hours, which is pretty fair. It’s six and a half hours of running across the checkout, helping my cashiers with difficult customers and day to day mishaps. As irritating as it can be, and as sore as my feet are after a shift, I’m glad I work where I do. I figure now that I’m getting experience as a higher-up, I have more opportunities for better jobs further along the line. All I know is that I’m glad this is my stepping stone job and not some hellhole like Market Basket.

In other life updates, I’m planning on being a defiant child and finally getting my first tattoo. The plan is to get the words, “In Venere Veritas”in a very clean, classic font on my left forearm, right below my elbow crease. If I can handle getting something that small, I’m planning on getting a few more tattoos that are more visually intricate. I’d need to collaborate with a really skilled artist for that though, and that will be EXPENSIVE. I hate thinking about money, and how in a few months when I don’t return to grad school I’m going to have to pay my student loans. I would prefer to do ANYTHING but pay my student loan right now. I can barely maintain living at my parents house with the money I currently make; I can’t imagine giving Uncle Sam a couple hundred dollars a month on top of that.
Does anyone else look at their bank statements and weep?

Katherine is a twenty-something year old writer from Greater Boston who is just trying to navigate adulthood. When she isn't writing, she enjoys going to concerts, painting, and spending time with her loved ones.